Woods and waters.

Notes from the field The Illinois Department of...

October 05, 2003|By Chauncey Niziol.

Notes from the field

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is reopening its Lake Michigan office at Winthrop Harbor. It will be responsible for patrolling the shoreline and harbors in Illinois waters and all tributaries and connecting waters to Lake Michigan, excluding Wolf Lake. The office will have a staff of eight and four boats.

When you talk about channel catfish up to 8.5 pounds, walleye in the 3- to 7-pound class and northern pike up to 30 inches long, you think about many lakes outside Illinois. But in the fall Cook County Forest Preserves Fisheries Division survey of fish population done on Skokie Lagoons waters 3 through 5 last week, these and many other fish stocks were captured, identified and returned.

A hunter safety education class will be offered at Goose Lake Prairie State Park Visitor Center from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 18-19. Call instructor Chadd Safarcyk for reservations or questions at 815-942-2899. For information about all types of safety education classes, check the DNR's Web site at http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/safety/index.htm.

Cooling lakes are closed for fishing for the year at sunset on the following dates: Heidecke Lake, Oct. 12; La Salle Lake, Oct. 15; Mazonia, Braidwood and the Mazonia South Unit Lakes, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. Monster Lake will remain open to anglers.

Saturday and Oct. 12: Illinois Northern Waterfowl Zone Youth hunt for ducks, geese, coots and mergansers. Bag limits are the same as during regular seasons.

Saturday: The Rend Lake Shooting Classic for Persons with Disabilities. This event is free to people with disabilities at the Rend Lake Shooting Complex. Call Jay Williams at 618-439-9111 for more information.

Oct. 12: The Griffith Indiana Izaak Walton 3D Archery Shoot begins at 8 a.m. with divisions for men, women and children and includes crossbows at the Izaak Walton League, 1532 E. Main St., Griffith, Ind. Call 219-924-0650 for information.

Tip of the week

From Ron Ritzler of Chicago: With the upland season approaching, pick up spent shotgun shells. After you have taken the shot, grab the shell and throw it into your game pouch.

Ask Chauncey

Al Michaels of Kenosha asks: What should I do when I catch my trophy fish this fall and want to have it mounted?

If you plan on having a skin mount, take many pictures of the fish in good light or with a flash on the camera. Rotate the fish so the taxidermist can see all the different colors in it. Then place the fish on ice in a cooler until you get home, where you should wrap the fish in a wet cotton towel and freeze the fish whole until you get it to the taxidermist. I prefer to take many pictures of the fish and write down the measurements as to length and girth at the fattest point and release the fish. The taxidermist can make you a replica mount of the fish that will look good longer, and you can put a 8-x-10 picture of you and the fish next to the mount.